Golf bag



April 1, 1952 R. E. THOMPSON 42,591,217

GOLF BAG Filed sept. 27, 1948 Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF BAG Application September Z7, 1948, Serial No. 51,340

(Cl. o- 1.5)

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to golf bags and particularly a hood therefor which is extendible out of the bag to cover the heads of the golf clubs, and which can be separated into separate flaps and folded into and conforming to the shape of the bag.

An object of the present invention is the provision of such a hood made of separable flaps, which are provided with fastening elements for fastening the flaps together to form the hood, and which can be completely separated from each other so that all of the clubs can be easily withdrawn from the bag.

Another object of the invention is the special arrangement of the hood in connection with divider bars which are sometimes provided at the mouth of the bag for dividing the golf clubs into groups. Such divider bars extend across the open mouth of the bag and are preferably semipermanently secured in place. The flaps forming the hood are arranged and secured to the open mouth of the bag in such a manner that they may be folded into the bag if desired and extended out of the bag and fastened together to form a hood without interference from the divider bars.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of such a hood in combination with a specially designed shape of mouth of the bag. In the present instance, the bag is shaped so as to have an open mouth which is generally triangular in shape having a long and short transverse dimension, the divider bars being disposedacross the short dimension and the flaps forming the hood being secured at points spaced in the direction of the long transverse dimension.

A further object is the provision of flaps which form a hood and are so designed that they are particularly adaptable to the open mouth of a bag which is inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the length of the bag.

A still further object is the provision of a bag having an open mouth in the form of a triangle and inclined at an angle, as described above, in which the apex of the triangle is disposed at the back of the bag and at a point aboutsix to eight inches higher than the front of the bag; and the back of the bag is provided with a reinforcing strip at the upper part thereof to which may be secured a strap handle. Such arrangement prevents deformation of the bag due to the weight of the clubs.

And, still a further object is to provide an improved bag providedv with a hood forv enclosing the` open mouth of the bag, and wherein the hood,v

or a section thereof, or a tubular section of the body ofthe bag is formed of suitable elastic material, whereby the overall height of the bag may be reduced in height and the elastic portion serving to permit the hood to stretch and snugly fit over the heads of the clubs.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, asl hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 13 is a side elevational view of a golf bag employing the present invention, showing the flaps extended out of the bag and secured together to form a hood;

Figure 2 is a view from the left of Figiue l, showing the upper portion thereof, as indicated by the line 3 3;

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2, but with the iiap nearest the observer folded into the bag; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged, sectional view taken on theline 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the bag as a Whole illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a main body portion l2 which may be of canvas or other flexible material. The shape of the bag throughout the major portion of its length is generally tubular in shape. Vertical reinforcing strips lmay be inserted in seams I4 in the construction of the bag, if desired, to provide a certain degree of rigidityv in a longitudinal direc- I- tion, and to enable the bag to stand on. its base.

The base is provided with a reinforcing circumferential strip i6 which also may be of canvas or other flexible material, and a rigid bead i8 on the bottom thereof. The base in the present instance is generally oval in shape, but the particular shape thereof may be varied and does not form a part of the present invention.

Side pockets 20 and 22 are secured to the body of the bag for carrying numerous golfers articles. The top of the bag, similarly to the bottom, is provided with a circumferential reinforcing strip 24 and a rigid reinforcing bead 26 surrounding the upper marginal edge of the open mouth of the bag. The bead 2B may be formed by inserting a steelrod 21 in the formation of the strip 2li,4 which is turned over the marginal edge of. the mouth of the bag, having aps on the inner `and outer surfaces of the bag and stitched thereto.

The rodl 2l is designed to provide;

rigidity to the mouth of the bag and retain it in a permanent predesigned shape.

As viewed in Figures 1 and 4, the open mouth of the bag, which is designated as 28, is disposed or inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the length of the bag, the upper end of the open mouth 28 terminating in register with the back wall 38 of the bag and the lower end of the open mouth in register with the front wall 32 of the bag. As viewed in Figures 2 and 3, the open mouth 28 of the bag is in the shape of a triangle, and comparison with Figures 1 and 4 will show that the apex 34 of the triangle forms the upper end of the inclined open mouth 28, and the base' 36 of the triangle forms the lower end of the open mouth. Preferably the apex 34 of the triangular mouth of the bag extends in the range. Y

of six to eight inches higher than the base 36 of i 4 extension (Figure 4) formed on the end of the reinforcing member 52 which is folded into the interior of the bag-and secured to the inner surface thereof as by means of rivets. The lower terminal edge of the extension 68 of the flap 64 may also be secured in position by means of the rivet 54 referred to above. The extension 68 of the ap'64 is also stitched to the bag' but for an extent only a short distance circumferentially, or around the perimeter, of the bag because, due to the peculiar curvature of the bag, the back ,wall 38 extends only a short distance circumferentially.

YThe back:V flap 64 is provided with side portions12 extending laterally and having their lower marginal edges disposed above the divider bars 56, as seen in Figure 4. The side portions 12 slope downwardly and forwardly of the bag when the flap 64 is extended upwardly.4

the bag, which, for convenience, will be referred A to by the reference numeral 39.

A reinforcing strip 48 (Figure 4) is inserted in the back wall 38 of the bag and may extend the entire length of the bag, and as herein shown, is positioned in the upper part thereof, extending from the upper terminal edge adjacent the apex 34 of the triangle forming the open mouth, down to a point slightly above the middle of the bag (Figure 1). The reinforcing stri-p 40 may be of any strong material and is preferably covered by a leather strip 42. A handle 44 may be secured to the reinforcing strip 48 in any desired manner, and a carrying strap 46 is also provided. The lower end of the carrying strap 46 may be provided with an adjustable connection as indicated at 48, secured to the lower end of the reinforcing strip 48. The upper end is provided with a link 58 which in turn is secured by the upper end of the leather strip 42 and a further rein` forcing strip 52. Both of the strips 42 and 52 which are looped over the upper terminal edge of the back wall 36, and the end portions of the strips, being folded into the bag, are secured in place by a rivet 54. The rivet 54 also aids in securing one of the flaps forming the hood referred to above and which will be explained later in detail.

The golf club divider bars, indicated at 56,- are two in number in the present instance, and are formed by a leather strip 58 which is a continuous piece threaded` through holes 60 in the opposite side walls of the bag just below the open mouth thereof. The strip 58 has two transverse runs or elements extending across the short transverse dimension of the bag. The runs of the strip 58 which extend across the bag are provided with tubular sleeves 62 which may be of leather or other material, and serve to provide rigidity to the transverse runs of the strip 58 and form therewith the divider bars 56. The ends of the strip 58 on being threaded across the bag and through holes 60 on opposite-sides are secured together as by a fastener means to retain the divider bars in xed position.

The flaps forming the hood referred to above are, indicated at 64 and 66. The flaps 64 and 66 are concave or shell-like in shape in their final position in forming a hood. The flap 64 will be referred to as the back flap'andis provided with a lower reduced extension indicated at 68 which is secured to the back wall 30 of the bag in the construction thereof, by means of an versely substantially across the width of` the. lower edge Vof the open mouth 28 which forms the` upper terminal edge of the front wall 32. The front flap 66 at its lower edge is also provided with side or lateral portions "I8 similarly to those of the rear flap, but not being as wide as those of the rear flap. l

The two flaps 64 and 66 as thus formed and secured can, if desired, be folded down into and conform to the shape of the bag, or extended out of the open mouth, and the side portions 12 and I6 brought over the divider bars 56 toward each other, respectively.

The marginal edges of the flaps 64 and 66 are provided each with an element of a slide fastener means indicated as a whole at 78. The marginal edges of the flaps may be considered the side marginal edges of the side portions 'F2 and 16 of the flaps, and the marginal edges of the extended ends of the flaps, or the upper ends thereof, when extended out of the bag. A slider is indicated at (Figure 3) and adapted to secure the separate elements of the fastener means 18 together, to form a hood of the flaps 64 and 66, completely covering the Vgolf clubs and closing the bag. y

The fastener means 18 is continuous; that is,

the slider 80 can be run from the lower edge ofone side of the hood upwardly across the top and then down the opposite side. YThe flaps 64 and 66 are therefore completely separable and are secured together by a single fastener means.

The marginal edges of the flaps 64 and 66 meet` The flaps 64 and 66 can therefore be separated entirely from one another and each folded down into the bag, adjacent and conforming to the respective walls to which they are secured. If desired, flap 64 may be permitted to remain upright, as seen in Figure 3, and held in such position by-the'club heads in the rear compartment of the bag, and the front iiap 66 may be folded down against the outside wall of the bag, but preferably is folded interiorly of the bag as shown in dot-and-dash outline in Figure 4. Therefore. it is not necessary to remove the divider bars 56 for folding the flaps down into the bag. This is in contrast to previous forms ofr bags in which it was Y, necessary to unfasten and remove the divider bars which were designed for that purpose. In the present instance, the divider bars 56 are designed to be left permanent although they can be removed on occasion if desired.

The outline shape of the open mouth of the bag is designed so that the weight of the clubs will not deform its shape. The reinforcing member 40 and the handle means for carrying the bag lbeing disposed on the side of the bag forming the apex of the triangle of the open mouth insures that the weight of the clubs will not deform the bag. The force of the weight of the clubs is exerted through the sides 38 of the triangle forming the open mouth, which, having substantial point support, substantially eliminates deformation of the mouth of the bag.

The flaps 64 and 66 comprising the hood or portions thereof, or a section of the body I2 of the bag, intermediate its length, may be formed of a suitable elastic material so as to permit obtaining a substantial reduction in height of the bag when the hood is closed. Such a construction will result in permitting the hood being stretched snugly over the heads of the clubs and accommodate the height of the clubs. When the flaps of the hood, in whole or part, are formed of elastic material, the aps may be more freely and readily folded into the bag.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my golf bag without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and is it my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope Without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim as my invention:

l. A golf bag comprising, a receptacle having an open top and a back wall, front wall and side walls, golf club divider bars secured to and between said side walls adjacent to and extending across said open end, a flexible flap secured to. said back wall and a flexible flap secured to said front wall adjacent said open top, said iiaps adapted to be folded into said receptacle and to be extended out of said open top, each of said flaps having side portions extending laterally from the points of securement of said flaps with the respective walls, said side portions and the extended ends of said flaps adapted to extend over said divider bars when the flaps are extended out of said open top, and fastener means secured to the marginal edges of said flaps, said fastener means adapted to be interconnected to form a hood from said flaps when the latter are extended out of said open top,

2. A golf bag comprising, a receptacle having a back Wall, front wall and side walls. the upper ends of said walls forming an open top of the receptacle inclined at an angle, with said back Wall extending higher than said front wall, golf club divider bars secured to and between said side walls adjacent to and extending across said open end, a flexible flap secured to said back wall and a exible flap secured to said front wall adjacent said open top, said iiaps adapted to be folded into said receptacle and to be extended out of said open end, each of said flaps having side portions extending laterally from the points of securement of said flaps with the respective walls, said flaps being adapted to be so positioned, when extended out of said open end, that the side and top marginal edges of said flaps are positioned adjacent each other respectively, and the bottom marginal edges of said side portions conform to the inclined disposition of said open top, and fastener means secured to the side and top marginal edges of said flaps, said fastener means adapted to be interconnected to form a hood from said flaps when the latter are extended out of said open top.

3. A golf bag comprising, a receptacle having an open top, a golf club divider bar secured in said receptacle adjacent to and extending across said open top, a pair of flaps secured in the receptacle on opposite sides thereof and adjacent said open top, and slide fastener means having an element secured to each of said flaps, said fastener means being adapted to be interconnected and secure said flaps together on a line in a plane substantially parallel with said divider bar to form a hood from said flaps, said slide fastener means being continuous and the elements thereof being disconnectible from one another to permit said flaps to be separated from one another and folded into the receptacle.

4. A golf bag comprising, a receptacle having a back wall, front wall and side Walls, said walls terminating in an open top inclined at an angle with said back wall extending higher than said front wall, said open top converging upwardly forming an apex formation terminating in register with said back wall, said back Wall having a reinforcing member in the upper portion thereof terminating substantially in register with the upper end of said back wall for securement thereto of a handle member for the bag, a golf club divider bar securedto and between said walls adjacent said open end, a flexible ap secured to said back wall and a flexible ap secured to said front wall adjacent said open top. said flaps adapted to be folded into said receptacle and to be extended out of said open top, each of said flaps having side portions extending laterally from the points of securement of said flaps with the respective walls, said naps being adapted to .be so positioned, when extended out of said open end, that the side and top marginal edges of said flaps are positioned adjacent each other respectively, and form a line in a plane substantially parallel with said divider bar, and the bottom marginal edges of said side portions conform to the inclined disposition of said open top, and fastener means secured to the side and top marginal edges of said naps, said fastener means adapted to be interconnected to form a hood from said iiaps when the latter are extended out of said open top.

ROBERT E. THOMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

